Covid-19 vaccine uptake among minority groups was driven by mistrust

vaccine - Lower Covid-19 vaccine uptake among Black ethnic groups in London compared to White British groups was driven by trust, including mistrust in the vaccine itself and in authorities administering it, according to research led by UCL. The peer-reviewed study, published in the Journal of Public Health, was undertaken by UCL researchers funded by National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) ARC North Thames, in collaboration with the Government's Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) as well as other London partners. Findings showed that among Black ethnic groups vaccine uptake was between 57 - 65% compared to a 90% uptake in White British groups after the first six months of the vaccine rollout. Mistrust in government institutions and information provided, together with access barriers, were reported to drive such inequalities. The research team carried out an analysis of first dose vaccine uptake across London between 8 December 2020 and 6 June 2021 by vaccine priority cohorts and ethnicity. This was supplemented by in-depth qualitative data, including a qualitative survey of 27 London local authority representatives, vaccine plans from London's five Integrated Care Systems, and interviews with 38 London system representatives. Researchers found that one of the barriers to uptake may have been because of the large numbers of people on zero-hour contracts or shift-working and who may have been concerned about losing out on paid work or taking time off for appointments.